Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper

 

Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 207
Duration: November 24-25, 2007

Description:
From the inside cover:

Few people have witnessed more scenes of chaos and conflict around the world than Anderson Cooper, whose groundbreaking coverage on CNN has changed the way we watch the news. In this gripping, candid, and remarkably powerful memoir, he offers an unstinting, up-close view of the most harrowing crises of our time, and the profound impact they have had on his life.

After growing up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Cooper felt a magnetic pull toward the unknown, an attraction to the far corners of the earth. If he could keep moving, and keep exploring, he felt he could stay one step ahead of his past, including the fame surrounding his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and the tragic early deaths of his father and older brother. As a reporter, the frenetic pace of filing dispatches from war-torn countries, and the danger that came with it, helped him avoid having to look too closely at the pain and loss that was right in front of him.

But recently, during the course of one extraordinary, tumultuous year, it became impossible for him to continue to separate his work from his life, his family’s troubled history from the suffering people he met all over the world. From the tsunami in Sri Lanka to the war in Iraq to the starvation in Niger and ultimately to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Mississippi, Cooper gives us a firsthand glimpse of the devastation that takes place, both physically and emotionally, when the normal order of things is violently ruptured on such a massive scare. Copper had been in his share of life-threatening situations before–ducking fire on the streets of war-torn Sarajevo, traveling on his own to famine-stricken Somalia, witnessing firsthand the genocide in Rwanda–but he had never seen human misery quite like this. Writing with vivid memories of his childhood and early career as a roving correspondent, Cooper reveals for the first time how deeply affected he has been by the wars, disasters, and tragedies he has witnessed, and why he continues to be drawn to some of the most perilous places on earth.

Striking, heartfelt, and utterly engrossing, Dispatches from the Edge is and unforgettable memoir that takes us behind the scens of the cataclysmic events of our age and allows us to see them through the eyes of one of America’s most trusted, fealess, and pioneering reporters.

 

Review:

A little background about me and Anderson Cooper. In middle school we had to watch Channel One….I say had, but I really enjoyed it and hoped that whatever school I worked in someday would have Channel One. Anderson Cooper was one of the reporters. I really liked him and thought he was cute. Anyway, over the years I’ve seen his name, but never paid much attention. When Hurricane Katrina hit I was glued to the afternoon TV and CNN’s host for most of it was Anderson Cooper. It didn’t take long and I decided I didn’t like Anderson Cooper. All he did was make me mad. He was rude and condescending. I didn’t understand how he could treat people who were going through such tragedy the way he did.

Yet, despite the fact that I found him irritating, when I found he was writing a book, I couldn’t wait to read it. Me and my non-fiction books. But I refused to buy it and when it first came out, when I had time to read, it was always checked out and then my interest faded and life moved on. Then, when we were at the library a few weeks ago, I had some time to kill. Zach was looking for books for his research project, so I was just browsing around my favorite section-Non-Fiction-when I happened across this book, Dispatches from the Edge. Of course, I picked it up, but it has sat on my shelf for a few weeks.

Well, yesterday I picked it up and started reading. I was afraid it was going to be boring. As much as I love non-fiction, most of the time I’m scared to pick up a book because I’m afraid I’m going to lose interest or it’s going to be too detailed or it’s going to be political and lose me and let’s face it a book written by a reporter about war will probably have some politics in it and I’ll lose interest. Well, it’s tomorrow and the book is finished, so….I didn’t get bored.

Anderson Cooper writes this book in such a way that you want to keep reading. Each section of the book focuses mainly on two parts of his life – his reporting life and his personal life. It takes you through his journey to overcome death and his desire to actually help people throughout the world. I’m not saying I agree with him, but he has integrity and I will have to forgive him for the harsh way he dealt with New Orleans city workers during the Huricane. I can see it from his point-of-view now and understand what was going on a bit more.

A short, easy read. Really a must for anyone who watches the news, but you also must remember, it is a personal memoir of his life as well.

Sour Cream and Chive Rolls

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 (.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

In a small saucepan, heat sour cream until very hot.  Add salt, sugar, and melted butter or margarine.  Cool until lukewarm.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Mix in sour cream mixture, eggs, flour, and chives.  Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Divide dough into 4 parts.  Knead and roll each part into a 10 inch circle.  Cut into thin pie-shaped pieces.  Roll each piece from flat end to point.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Allow to rise until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.

Vege-salt & Pigs.

In my life salt, has always been vege-salt.  It’s all we ever used.  White salt did not have a presence in our house.  It’s so funny to see someone use vege-salt for the first time.  They always think it’s pepper.  It has a different, more subtle flavor than salt.  If you’ve never tried it, I’d suggest grabbing a jar in the spice section and giving it a try.

This is what it looks like:

And…to clarify my last blog….pigs have also always been around my house.  Not in the live sense, but in the pottery sense.  My dad was a potter and they way he supported the family when we were growing up was by making pigs.  At first they were just sugar pigs….to remind you not to pig-out on sugar.    Anyway, he eventually expanded and made salt and pepper shakers as well.  I can not remember a life without pigs all over the stove and on the table.  We used them for salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon-sugar, I think at one time I even had a kool-aid pig.    Anyway, I can’t imagine using anything for Vege-salt besides a pig.

So here is my dirty, vege-salt pig:

Carrot & Steak Wrap

some steak strips, could be leftovers
carrots, leftover or shredded.
tortilla
butter, I use I can’t believe it’s not butter light.
Vege-salt

In a small skillet, cook steak until brown. Meanwhile, steam or boil carrots if they are not leftovers. It they are leftovers, just reheat in the microwave. Once all ingredients are cooked, place carrots into a warmed tortilla. Mash a bit with butter and vege-salt. Place a few steak strips on top and roll up. Serve immediately.

This is my favorite breakfast ever. It was an invention of my father’s when I was in middle school, maybe high school. We were running low on food one day and he was trying to figure out what to feed me for breakfast. Almost all we had was the leftovers from the night before, which happened to be steak and carrots. We also had some tortillas. So he whipped this up for me and it’s been my favorite ever since. We’ve played around with it over the years to speed the process when you don’t have leftovers, but the ingredients are still the same. Mmmm…..so good. Zach was sweet and made this for me for my birthday breakfast and then again today.

Oh, I pretty much only use vege-salt, unless I’m baking or following someone elses recipe. It is the only thing in a pig on my table.

Bacon and Swiss Mini Muffins

1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 medium tomato, de-seeded and diced
3-4 oz. Swiss cheese
8-10 slices bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup mayo
1 TSP basil
10 ounce flaky biscuits

Mix ingredients together. Separate biscuits into thirds and place in mini-muffin pan. Fill with mix. Bake at 350 until lightly brown (20-30 minutes).

Sausage Balls

1 lb hot breakfast sausage
8 oz. shredded cheese
1 cup bisquick

Mix together. Cook at 350 until no longer pink (20-30 minutes).

CPK’s Checca

2 pounds Roma (plum) tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice.
1 TBS minced Garlic
1 TBS minced fresh basil
2 TSP salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Toss together ingredients, mixing them thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time. Remove from frig 15 minutes before serving.